Game Night: Hawks

Tree Rollins: Not expected to play tonight.

Let's all take a breath. Steve Francis was moved today, but the Sonics have yet to do anything, and even if they do, it's only going to be get rid of Evans or Murray, or possibly picking up Earl Watson.

With that in mind, let's try focusing on the season for awhile. I for one will be glad to see the trading deadline in the rear-view mirror, if for no other reason than to put these Ray Allen-for-Ben Gordon rumors to bed (Good Lord, does Sam Smith even read his own nonsense?).

The Sonics are up against the Hawks. I say up against, in that usually the opponent provides opposition, which, of course, the Hawks are loathe to do. After starting at 2-16, the Hawks have improved of late, but they are still the Hawks and unless Doc Rivers, Nique, Kevvy Kev, and Tree Rollins are loosening up, they won't be seeing the playoffs in person this year.

Injuries are beginning to pile up for the Sonics, with Swift, Potato, and Fortson out, while Rashard and Wilcox are listed as questionable (which begs the question, is there ever a day in which Danny Fortson is not questionable?).

But if you want to really feel depressed, listen to this. Despite Atlanta's woeful state of basketball, they're favored by 5 against Seattle tonight. Considering the Hawks edged the Pistons in their last home game, it's not such a bad bet.

Lew Too?

After last week's Radman/Wilco trade, everyone is still waiting for the other shoe to drop. John Sleeper of the Herald thinks that shoe should be Lew:

The Sonics want to take good looks at youngsters Robert Swift and Johan Petro, both of whom have shown promise and that they only need playing time. Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis (both can include "All-Star" on their resumes), Luke Ridnour, Nick Collison and Damien Wilkins all appear untouchable.

But are they all safe? At 26, Lewis has been in the league eight years and is just now entering the realm of "seasoned veteran." An effortless scorer, Lewis, as are too many Sonics, is a liability on defense. His build still is so slight that opposing forwards use him as a tackling dummy in the paint.

Read the rest here.

Future All-Star or All-Too-Scary?

As the NBA heads into All-Star Weekend, we at Supersonicsoul leave you with this to ponder: Could Robert Swift be an All-Star someday? Seriously. Also, are Robert Swift and Banjo Boy from Deliverance related? I know, it's just too scary to think about. Forget I said anything and just enjoy the game.

Trade Ray-Ray? No way-way!

After trading Vlad the Rad-Man for Chris Wilcox earlier this week, the Sonics still have a glut of big, lunky power forwards on their roster. So their next logical move would be to unload some big men for a much-needed point guard, right? Not according to several "sources" around the league.

from the Chicago Tribune:

Team executives say the Sonics, having a miserable season, losing millions of dollars and almost out of the playoff race already have been active in trade talks for Flip Murray, Reggie Evans, Vitaly Potapenko and Danny Fortson. Executives say they haven't heard mention of Allen, though at least one added a "yet." The belief around the NBA is with Allen turning 31 this summer after just signing a long-term contract, young players like Robert Swift, Johan Petro and Luke Ridnour getting considerable playing time, the team going nowhere and the franchise in fragile financial condition (no one there wants to say that fast five times), it's inevitable they'll examine what they can get for Allen.
. . .
So here's a deal that could make sense for both teams. Gordon, Tim Thomas and Eric Piatkowski (the latter two with expiring contracts) and one of the Bulls' No. 1 picks for Allen, Nick Collison, whom the Bulls always have liked, and Fortson, whose $6.6 million contract next season the Sonics have been trying to dump.

And from the Chicago Sun Times:

Does five-time All-Star guard Ray Allen, who is averaging 24.8 points for the Seattle SuperSonics, make sense for the Bulls? He is said to be on the market.

So the question remains: What in the hell are they smoking in Chi-town, and where can I get some? Ben Gordon for Ray Allen? RAY ALLEN? I have not seen such masturbatory fanboy fantasies since . . . well, since reading our own comments ("Fortson and The Potato for Paul Pierce!").

Then again, when you look at who runs this team, anything is possible. I guess I'll approach the trading deadline the same way I do my taxes: drink heavily and hope for the best.

Goodbye Vladi, Hello Wilco

Vladimir Radmanovic was traded Tuesday night to the Clippers for Chris "Wilco" Wilcox. On behalf of everyone here at Supersonicsoul, I'd like to thank Vladi Doddi for his time in Seattle. We'll miss your rainbow threes and thunderous dunks. We will not miss your long cold stretches, creepy braids and incessant bitching.

More Stadia

I know I've been riding this horse particularly hard recently, but I thought this bit of back-and-forth from the Times' Bob Young worth reading:

"[Howard] Schultz has touted a Sonics' study, which shows the team adds more than $200 million to the local economy through spending by fans, players and the team.

"Seattle Center has hired economist Bill Beyers to check the Sonics' claim and conduct his own study. Beyers recently told the task force the Sonics' analysis overstated the team's impact and was 'not a good study.'

"Beyers is scheduled to present his report to Della's committee on Wednesday."

Count me among those curious to see what data Mr. Beyers produces. I'm guessing his figures will be slightly less than one Howard Schultz'.

Dirty Danny

The Sonics may not be racking up many wins on the court this year, but they racked up this important notice in Sports Illustrated: 2 of the 3 dirtiest players in the league this year are wearing green and gold.

Danny Fortson (#1) and Reggie Evans (#3) ranked at the top of who other players thought were the worst offenders in the league. Ray Allen's favorite player, Bruce Bowen, checked in at #2.

It got me to thinking, though, where do Fort and Mr. Glass rank in Sonic history? Obviously, Frank Brickowski has to be somewhere near the top, with Lonnie Shelton possibly thrown in the top 5, and you could even throw Maurice Lucas in for good measure.

A Rosey trade for Supes?

It's trade rumor time again! Here's one courtesy of the never reliable New York Daily News:

HOUSTON - Isiah Thomas' conversations with Seattle have centered on Reggie Evans and Danny Fortson, a sign that the Knicks are trying to surround Eddy Curry with rugged power forwards.

Malik Rose is a similar-type player, but the Knicks, according to league sources, are willing to trade Rose and perhaps Trevor Ariza to the Sonics if they can get Fortson and Evans in return.

Look at all these rumors

You know writers are desparate when they start cooking up stuff like this:

"... Some have speculated that the Seattle SuperSonics may want to move Ray Allen because of their financial issues ..." (Philly Inquirer)

Yeah, that'll happen all right. I'm sure the Sonics are really interested in trading their only legitimate star for a group of 3rd-tier players while in the midst of grabbing some dough for their new and improved stadium.

By the way, the Sonics lost again last night to the mighty Hornets. Did I mention that the Hornets' first two point guards were on the sidelines with injuries for most of the game? And that David West and PJ Brown combined for 47 points? Oh, and Kirk Snyder went for 16 points and 12 helpers?

Ugh.

Sonics Win!

"I'm trying to cram as many rich, white people as possible up there!"

The Sonics may suck on the basketball court, the court of public opinion, and most likely even the People's Court, but they won in Olympia on Tuesday.

As Margarita(ville) Prentice, chairwoman of the Ways and Means Committee, put it, "The ripple effect [of sports on the economy] defies our imagination." She was referring, of course, to the impact the Seahawks' making it to the Super Bowl had on the local businesses.

She's right! If the Sonics make the Super Bowl, Seattle will win big! Oh, wait, the Sonics can't play in the Super Bowl, it being for another sport and all. But, jeez, the NBA Championship Finals ratings are always through the roof, right?

In any event, the taxes previously used to fund other SafeCo/Quest Field will now be extended to fund Key Arena's transformation into the type of arena that no team will ever leave. After all, no city would ever sell an arena for $23 million 17 years after they spent $60 million to build it, right? Ah, yes, I love this game.

Brother can you spare a dime Penny?

There's been a lot of talk about Earl Watson coming to Seattle, but here's something I hadn't heard until today:

Another persistent rumor has the Knicks finally unloading Penny Hardaway 's expiring $15.75 million contract on Seattle for Reggie Evans, Flip Murray and Vitaly Potapenko .
That would help the cash-strapped Sonics for next season, but it wouldn't appear to do much to help the Knicks. Which, in my cynical opinion, is why this trade probably will go through.

from The Detroit News

So, should the Sonics being giving up on this season before it's even half done? Is Flip worth a Penny? Is a Penny worth anything? So . . . many . . . questions . . .

Sucky Sonics make Hill "puke"

After losing to the lowly Bobcats 119-106 last night, Sonics coach Bob Hill had this to say:

"You've got to sleep on it and get up in the morning. After you puke, you can start thinking about it. That's the first thing I'll do is puke."

Yeah, I think that's pretty much how we all feel right now, Bob.